Sodexo's Global Diversity & Inclusion Report - Building Gender Balanced Business

“At Sodexo diversity and inclusion is more than a moral obligation or a societal goal; it is a business imperative…”

So says Sodexo CEO Michel Landel when introducing the company’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Report.

The approach will help the company win in its markets, the company believes, because it strengthens its ability to attract and develop talent, to maximise people’s potential across cultural boundaries and reach customers more effectively.

The French company’s capacity to influence positive change is considerable, owing to its size and global scale. The food and facilities management company employs 355,000 people in 80 countries.

The report outlines its work and its approach in the whole area of diversity and inclusion covering different cultures, gender, age and so on.

Sodexo is committed to increasing the percentage of women among its top 250 executives from the current 18% to 23-25% by 2010. In 2007, 16% of the top executives were women. Similarly, the share of senior managers rose 1 percentage point from 2007, to 23%. 28% of the board is female.

For more information on the work of Sodexo’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, click to download the report.